What to wear

In most of the country modest dress is appropriate but in total contrast to neigh-bouring Iran, women are not required (nor expected) to hide wrists, ankles, hair or smiles. Veils were ceremoniously discarded following a 1920s Soviet hujum (attack) on Islamic female-fashion restrictions and a mass unveiling on March 8th (International Women's Day) 1928.

In modern Baku, dress codes are specially liberal and girls can get away with the skimpiest of outfits only if she smokes will people think she's a bit of a tart. Curiously, even in Baku, it is men who provoke raised eyebrows if they walk around in shorts. A cultural equivalent would be strolling through London in Y-fronts.